At Lexington Brass, an upscale hotel bar and restaurant in Midtown, the offerings on tap on a recent night included Palmina Dolcetto wine, Brooklyn Pilsner and a more unusual beverage: an increasingly popular fermented tea, kombucha.

Downtown at the Brooklyneer, ginger-mint kombucha is mixed with vodka for a cocktail called the “Stoop,” and it is also used in the house dressing.

And across the river at the Queens Kickshaw in Astoria, a brand-new high-alcohol version of kombucha, called Mava Roka, is literally creating a buzz.

Kombucha, a fermented tea that has long been popular among the health-conscious and hippie crowds—particularly on the West Coast—is becoming more mainstream. The drink is popping up on New York restaurant and bar menus and being sold as a mixer, on tap and even in growlers.

Kombucha’s sour, acidic bite can make it an acquired taste, though flavored versions are more palatable. Devotees make their own by brewing tea and sugar with a flat, solid mass of yeasts and bacteria.

As the tea ferments, some believe it creates a variety of health-boosting acids and enzymes that can aid digestion and improve immunity. But there has been no conclusive scientific evidence to back such claims.

Eric Childs, whose company KBBK Kombucha Brooklyn produces the tea in a variety of flavors, says he delivers kegs to nearly 30 restaurants, bars and cafes across the city. His clients include Taproom No. 307 on East 23rd Street, where patrons can get a jasmine margarita made with kombucha, and Urban Rustic in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, which runs two self-serve taps and also sells “beer bucha,” a 50-50 mix of a light beer and kombucha.

Other clients include the Dive Bar’s Amsterdam Avenue location and Local 61 in Cobble Hill, which both sell growlers for kombucha to-go.

Most telling, he says, is that a high-end Midtown spot such as Lexington Brass, a creation of the EMM Group, chose to get kombucha on tap.

“That’s totally new territory,” Mr. Childs said.

Lexington Brass’s general manager, Todd Enany, said the restaurant sells about 100 glasses a week, especially during breakfast. “It’s a nice alternative to an orange juice or coffee or tea because it does have that effervescent sort of awakening effect, sort of like taking your morning vitamins,” he said.

Beyond Kombucha in Astoria launched in 2010 but last month received the federal and state alcohol licenses enabling it to produce alcoholic kombucha.

Now, owner and brewer Spiro Theofilatos runs a licensed brewery, enabling him to produce and sell the region’s first kombucha ale. He hopes to quadruple production to 1,000 gallons a week and is in negotiations with a beer distributor.

Mr. Theofilatos is making six basic flavors with low alcohol contents and currently has one high-alcohol flavor, Mava Roka, which has an alcoholic content of about 7 %.

“Imagine a rooibos tea with a strong vanilla note,” said Mr. Theofilatos. “A maple syrup sort of coats it and it’s also sour from the kombucha.”

He’s in the process of making a second high-alcohol flavor, which will be a honey mead kombucha called “Love Potion #10,” made with a South American root bark said to have aphrodisiac qualities.

The trace alcohol levels in kombucha led the federal government to warn manufacturers in 2010 that if they exceed an 0.5% alcohol-content level, they would be subject to the same regulations that apply to other alcoholic beverages.

Many companies had to tweak their recipes. Mr. Theofilatos sought to get a brewery license instead.

“Everyone knows a little about” kombucha, he said. “It’s got health benefits. But this particular stuff…it leaves an impression. It’s a beautiful high. It has this real charge to it; it lifts you up. And it tastes amazing, the balance of sweet and sour.”

At Queens Kickshaw on Friday night, the Mava Roka on tap was selling, and going over well.

Bryan Mercado, a 39-year-old private chef who lives on the Upper East Side, said he has been drinking nonalcoholic kombucha for about two years.

Astoria company is first kombucha brewery on East Coast

BY CLARE TRAPASSO
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Thursday, December 15, 2011, 6:00 AM

When the feds cracked down on the trace alcohol content in popular fermented Asian teas last year, a Queens kombucha manufacturer refused to tweak his recipe — or close up shop.

Instead, Beyond Kombucha, in Astoria, became the first licensed kombucha brewery on the East Coast this month.

Owner and brewer Spiro Theofilatos plans to unveil his first kombucha ale, Mava Roka, made with maple syrup and vanilla rooibos tea, on Thursday at the Queens Kickshaw in Astoria.

He also brews half-a-dozen traditional kombucha varieties, with alcohol contents of 1% to 1 1/2%, and plans to unveil alcoholic kombucha ciders and sparkling wines in the coming months.

The bubbly, acidic beverage is reputed to offer health benefits, including boosting the immune system and aiding digestion.

“It’s just the healthiest, most wonderful thing you can drink,” said Theofilatos, a former electronic music producer and DJ. “I wouldn’t be doing this with so much passion if I didn’t love it.”

Theofilatos was introduced to the drink in 2005 — and shortly after was drinking two to three bottles a day, he said.

It wasn’t long before the budding kombucha aficionado began brewing the fermented tea in his one-bedroom apartment, storing large jars of it in his boiler closet.

In January 2010, he opened Beyond Kombucha in the basement of his family’s brick commercial building where he used to live.

He soon convinced his brother to install solar panels on the roof to power his fledgling business.

But in June 2010, the federal government cracked down on the drink due to its alcohol content. Companies were forced to reformulate their recipes or become licensed alcohol producers.

Theofilatos chose the latter and got his brewers license on Dec. 8

— making him the first licensed kombucha brewery on the East Coast.

Now, giant glass jars of tea cover a table in Theofilatos’s former windowless bedroom. The drink is fermented with a bacteria and yeast culture that stretches into the liquid like a jellyfish and its tentacles.

“I had no question in my mind that I wanted to go the alcoholic route,” he said. “I did not want to fix something that was perfect.”

Hannah Crum, founder of Kombucha Kamp, a Los Angeles-based kombucha website that promotes the drink, said more manufacturers are turning their products into alcoholic beverages, such as beer.

“We’ve barely touched the surface of what kombucha can do,” said Crum. “There’s a lot of room for creativity.”

Queens Kickshaw co-owner Ben Sandler said customers have been buzzing over the Mava Roka kombucha ale that the grilled cheese joint plans to put on tap.

“People have been asking about it left and right,” he said.

But Sarah Theodore, a global drinks analyst at the international firm Mintel Group Ltd., said kombucha is still a niche drink.

“It’s becoming a much more popular product, but at this point it’s more restricted to natural food consumers,” she said.

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Beyond Kombucha office and brewery. They are located right here in Astoria and are producing a lot of kombucha in their relatively small space. The visit was both educational and fun, plus I got to try some different flavors, all of which were delicious.

As I walked to their office from the train, I totally missed the entrance to the space! It’s actually located in the back of a parking lot in amongst a bunch of other small industrial spaces and warehouses; more specifically, the space is located below the Rent-a-Center in Astoria.

Once I figured out where they were exactly, with help from Liz (Beyond Kombucha’s Project Co-ordinator) on the phone and a couple of nice guys in the parking lot, I descended the stairs to the office. As I did, the aroma of kombucha hit me – that lovely sour smell I like so much. I met Liz and Spiro, the founder of the company, and Liz took me on a tour.

First, we visited the room containing the second fermentation vessel and the final vat for the kombucha ale, but we then realized it would be better to start where the kombucha itself was brewing. That room currently contains wooden barrels brewing vanilla rooibos tea as well as a “SCOBY farm” – lots of large jars containing SCOBYs. I have to admit, the idea of a SCOBY farm is pretty cool.

I love the look of the wooden vessels brewing the vanilla rooibos for the Mava Roka, Beyond Kombucha’s own kombucha ale. Yes, you heard that right! Beer!

I believe these are oak barrels in which they are brewing the vanilla rooibos.

When the kombucha is ready, it gets transferred to another container for the second fermentation. Maple syrup is used as the sugar for this additional fermentation, which helps it get fizzier.

When it’s ready, it goes into a final stainless vessel, where yeast is added. It’s also clarified. Then it’s bottled. Here’s a shot of the room where all this happens (except the bottling – that happens elsewhere).

The vessel in the middle – with the cone at the bottom – is where the kombucha turns into beer – Mava Roka, which stands for Maple Vanilla Rooibos Kombucha. Love the name! I haven’t tried the beer myself, but I have a bottle in my kitchen just waiting for me.

They also have plans to make kombucha with honey - “Love Potion” - which is really exciting. Maybe it will be ready by Valentine’s Day!

I did get to try a few flavors. The first one was the vanilla rooibos.

It’s very easy to drink, compared to other kombucha’s I’ve tasted. The flavor is gentler without being overly sweet. I think it would be an excellent drink for someone who is just starting their kombucha journey. It’s light and effervescent, just lovely.

The second flavor I tried is made with a tea containing blueberries.

I absolutely loved this! It’s fruity and perhaps a little sweeter than the vanilla rooibos. I can’t wait until this goes on the market in the summer.

I tried another flavor made with a more bitter tea. I liked it, but preferred the vanilla rooibos and blueberry.

While I was drinking my kombucha, I spied something beautiful.

That’s a whole jar of SCOBYs! They were used when making the blueberry kombucha. I think it looks amazing. Such an unusual and interesting color for a SCOBY.

So, how do you get your hands on this excellent drink? Well, the Mava Roka is available for sure at The Queens Kickshaw in Astoria, where it’s often on tap. This kombucha ale is raw, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened (with maple syrup, of course). Bottles of their kombucha can be found atMundo (one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria) and Cafe Bar (which is right by my friend Mackenzi’s cool shop SITE).

Beyond Kombucha is about to enter a distribution contract, so you’ll likely see bottles of their product on the shelves of one very well-known grocery very soon. Other plans are in the works, one of which I walked in on as I arrived. Very exciting for Beyond Kombucha, let me tell you!

Many thanks to Liz and Spiro for having me over and showing me what’s new at Beyond Kombucha!

Last summer the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) cracked down on the Kombucha category, forcing many brands whose alcohol content in the drink exceeded the legal limit of 0.5 percent ABV off the shelves.

And while category leaders like GT and High Country Kombucha committed to altering their recipes in order to remain under the legal limit, offering products in the “near beer” segment, others like Queens, N.Y. based Beyond Kombucha took a different approach.

“I didn’t want to reformulate,” said Beyond Kombucha founder, Spiro Theofilatos. “I could not get my product under 0.8 percent by volume without altering the taste. I didn’t want to change my recipes so I decided to go a different direction.”

Theofilatos recently received federal and state approvals for a brewery license, allowing him to explore alcohol positive kombucha styles in the ale, mead and cider categories.

“I love the freedom to explore with higher alcohol,” he said. “I think marrying the two worlds is great and could be a new trend.”

Theofilatos said those unfamiliar with kombucha often make comparisons to sour beers, a trend that continues to gain momentum in the craft category. Kombucha also has multiple fermentation stages with primary fermentation occurring in open air glass barrels.

It’s not the first time kombucha has crossed paths with the craft beer industry either. Goose Island produces ‘Fleur,’ a Belgian Style pale ale brewed with hibiscus and kombucha tea and Dogfish Head brewed Fungus Tea’Mungus for the annual Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest earlier this year.

Theofilatos is certainly aware of the similarities and is positioning Beyond Kombucha alongside other high-end craft beers. His most popular offering, Mava Roka, checks in at 6.5 percent ABV and is distributed in 16 ounce bottles with a cantilever closure much like the internationally recognized Grolsch brand.

Additionally Theofilatos is looking to institute a growler program where both on and off premise retailers can refill a customer’s ‘mini-growler’ with fresh kombucha beer. He expects to retail a 16 oz. bottle for around $7.00, $2.00 of which is considered a “deposit” on the bottle itself.

Theofilatos is currently self-distributing the beer to a number of bars and restaurants in the Queens area and expects to begin selling-in to off-premise accounts in early January.

Beyond Kombucha is the first licensed kombucha brewery on the east coast. Other regional kombucha manufacturers with brewery licenses include Unity Vibration (MI), Deane’s Kombucha (MN), Invisible Alchemy (OR) and CommuniTea (WA).

Those looking for more information on Beyond Kombucha can check out their facebook page.